Clianthus puniceus Flamingo

The Clianthus puniceus 'Flamingo', also known as the 'Parrot's Beak', is a frost-tender New Zealand bush with great ornamental value, suitable for outdoor cultivation in mild regions. Elsewhere, it makes a beautiful terrace or balcony plant that should be stored indoors during winter. Its long, woody climbing stems bear pendulous clusters of uniquely shaped large petals in a stunning coral pink, resembling parrot beaks or lobster claws. Its finely cut foliage with silky undersides indicates its relation to wisteria or peas. To successfully grow it, provide it with sunlight and mild winter temperatures, a preferably chalky, fertile, well-draining soil that remains cool in summer.

The Clianthus puniceus (synonym Donia punicea), also called 'Kakabeak', is a bush belonging to the Fabaceae family. This plant can grow in poor soils by fixing essential nitrogen at its roots. It is native to the North Island of New Zealand and can be found on cliffs, near watercourses, forest edges or clearings with gravelly soils. Despite being cultivated, this plant is endangered in its homeland.

The Clianthus plant can thrive in a wide range of soils, including alkaline ones, as long as they remain moist during summer. It can withstand temperatures as low as -5°C in well-drained and sheltered locations. 

The 'Flamingo' cultivar may be the most ornamental, selected for its beautiful coral pink flower colour. It is a climbing or creeping bush composed of long, very flexible stems that can reach 4m (13 ft 1 in), which are best trained against a support. Otherwise, it will form a tall and wide bushy mass over 2 metres (6 feet 7 inches) high. Its growth rate is rather fast. The leaves remain on the stems in winter in mild climates or in cold greenhouses. Measuring 15 cm (5.9 in) long, they are composed of numerous small regular leaflets, pale green to grey-green with silky undersides. Flowering usually occurs from March to May, but sometimes extends until September depending on the climate. These are clusters of large flowers appearing in the axils of the leaves, 10 to 15 cm (3.9 to 5.9 in) long, suspended from peduncles. These flowers have two keels or petals shaped like sickles, the 'lobster claws', 5 to 7 cm (2 to 2.8 in) long. The flowers give way to green pods that open to reveal large black seeds when fully ripe.

The Clianthus puniceus Flamingo looks striking as a standalone bush integrated into an exotic setting in a mild climate garden. Its low hardiness allows for outdoor cultivation in zone 9, in a sheltered location. If you live in a cooler climate, you can grow this plant in a large pot and keep it indoors during winter in a cool, bright space. This plant doesn't like overly heated and dry atmospheres, so watering it throughout the growing season and reducing watering in winter is essential. You could pair it with a Boronia heterophylla, which thrives in similar conditions, or a Jacaranda mimosifolia that blooms in spring and autumn.